WEBVTT 00:00:01.390 --> 00:00:04.190 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:04.309 --> 00:00:07.710 Are you in one of those can -do jobs? What I 00:00:07.710 --> 00:00:10.609 mean is you can do it, but down deep you don't 00:00:10.609 --> 00:00:13.009 really like it. In fact, you might even despise 00:00:13.009 --> 00:00:15.349 it. Well, do you quit? You go back to school? 00:00:15.650 --> 00:00:18.870 Could it be that you have yet to discover the 00:00:18.870 --> 00:00:22.390 job that God has specifically made you to do? 00:00:22.870 --> 00:00:26.850 Stay with me and let's find out. What if you 00:00:26.850 --> 00:00:29.609 actually looked forward to Monday mornings? What 00:00:29.609 --> 00:00:32.210 if work wasn't just the price you pay for weekend 00:00:32.210 --> 00:00:35.070 freedom, but a source of deep satisfaction and 00:00:35.070 --> 00:00:38.750 purpose? Most people spend 60 to 80 percent of 00:00:38.750 --> 00:00:41.450 their waking hours counting down to Friday, trapped 00:00:41.450 --> 00:00:44.289 in jobs they don't enjoy. They've swallowed the 00:00:44.289 --> 00:00:47.789 lie that we are what we do. On today's edition 00:00:47.789 --> 00:00:50.549 of Living on the Edge, Chip Ingram unveils a 00:00:50.549 --> 00:00:53.799 liberating truth. You're not what you do. You're 00:00:53.799 --> 00:00:57.020 crafted in God's image with unique gifts, passions, 00:00:57.140 --> 00:00:59.740 and purpose. And when you discover and fulfill 00:00:59.740 --> 00:01:03.219 your divine calling, work transforms from drudgery 00:01:03.219 --> 00:01:06.760 into delight. A bit later, Chip will also describe 00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:09.200 one of the largest match opportunities in the 00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:11.599 history of Living on the Edge so that you can 00:01:11.599 --> 00:01:13.939 double the impact of your generous year -end 00:01:13.939 --> 00:01:16.560 support. But right now, let's turn our attention 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:19.500 to the subject at hand, leaving a legacy that 00:01:19.500 --> 00:01:23.310 lasts forever. Work is a calling, all work is 00:01:23.310 --> 00:01:25.849 sacred, and our work is to flow from our unique 00:01:25.849 --> 00:01:29.090 purpose. Now, if you're called to be a plumber 00:01:29.090 --> 00:01:32.510 or a builder or a software engineer or a stay 00:01:32.510 --> 00:01:35.290 -at -home mom, you will tell others about the 00:01:35.290 --> 00:01:38.629 love of God by actually how you do your work 00:01:38.629 --> 00:01:44.129 and by what you say. The New Testament command 00:01:44.129 --> 00:01:48.510 is Colossians 3, 23, whatever you do. Now, let's 00:01:48.510 --> 00:01:50.980 see, what do you think that would cover? Is this 00:01:50.980 --> 00:01:54.040 just spiritual stuff, quote? Whatever you do, 00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:57.480 work at it with all your heart as working for 00:01:57.480 --> 00:02:01.840 the Lord, not for men. This is revolutionary. 00:02:02.420 --> 00:02:05.620 Now let me give you four kind of specific ways 00:02:05.620 --> 00:02:08.259 that are real practical in general to develop 00:02:08.259 --> 00:02:10.520 this and those that you love to pass it on. And 00:02:10.520 --> 00:02:12.740 then what I want to do is I want to... Take this 00:02:12.740 --> 00:02:14.939 very specifically in the second half of our time 00:02:14.939 --> 00:02:18.900 about how do you help those you love discover 00:02:18.900 --> 00:02:21.599 God's calling for their life. But before we do, 00:02:21.639 --> 00:02:23.879 let me give you four quick things that especially 00:02:23.879 --> 00:02:25.560 for those of you that might have kids that are 00:02:25.560 --> 00:02:28.900 still at home or you're in those earlier years. 00:02:29.020 --> 00:02:32.580 Number one, give them a lot of jobs growing up. 00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:36.099 Your kids need to learn to cook. and help out 00:02:36.099 --> 00:02:38.639 at 11 and 12. Everyone needs to be able to handle 00:02:38.639 --> 00:02:40.659 and do their own laundry, you know, by the early 00:02:40.659 --> 00:02:43.560 teen or preteen years. You want them to learn 00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:47.819 to work at an early age. Second, feed them responsibility, 00:02:48.060 --> 00:02:51.400 responsibility, responsibility. Give them jobs, 00:02:51.479 --> 00:02:54.280 feed them responsibility. Number three, demand 00:02:54.280 --> 00:02:57.479 excellence and develop a work ethic. We have 00:02:57.479 --> 00:02:59.639 just got into this, our little kid's psyche. 00:02:59.740 --> 00:03:02.500 We don't want them to feel bad. My kids will 00:03:02.500 --> 00:03:04.259 tell you, and maybe I was a little over the top, 00:03:04.360 --> 00:03:08.120 I had one son that had a struggle in school and 00:03:08.120 --> 00:03:11.840 he had the gift of sloppiness. And so he would 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:13.659 do his homework and he would, I mean, I couldn't 00:03:13.659 --> 00:03:15.319 even read it. He said, well, dad, it's the best 00:03:15.319 --> 00:03:17.159 I can do. I said, well, the best you can do, 00:03:17.240 --> 00:03:19.719 I guess, is not quite good enough because that's, 00:03:19.719 --> 00:03:22.340 and I would give him, you know, the little dad 00:03:22.340 --> 00:03:24.699 sermon and I really love you, son. Now do it 00:03:24.699 --> 00:03:26.319 again. And that's how you learn to clean out 00:03:26.319 --> 00:03:28.400 the garage. That's not bad. Now try it again. 00:03:30.060 --> 00:03:33.280 You know, the reason the vacuum cleaner, you 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:35.520 pick up the rug and you actually vacuum under 00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:39.319 the rug, okay? Now, I'm not talking about being 00:03:39.319 --> 00:03:41.939 perfectionistic, over -the -top, wacko. Although 00:03:41.939 --> 00:03:44.039 my kids at times would say I had small moments 00:03:44.039 --> 00:03:49.240 of that. It was, if they don't learn to work 00:03:49.240 --> 00:03:51.639 well and work with excellence and work to an 00:03:51.639 --> 00:03:55.560 audience of one, where do you think they're going 00:03:55.560 --> 00:03:58.509 to pick that up? One of the greatest gifts I 00:03:58.509 --> 00:04:01.469 think I saw my wife and I give our children is 00:04:01.469 --> 00:04:03.789 they know how to think and they know how to work. 00:04:04.409 --> 00:04:07.689 And the final thing I would say is teach them, 00:04:07.750 --> 00:04:09.669 and I allude to this, to work for an audience 00:04:09.669 --> 00:04:13.189 of one. And when they're young, like I told them, 00:04:13.210 --> 00:04:16.670 I said, I understand no one can see behind here 00:04:16.670 --> 00:04:18.850 that's really dirty and all the cobwebs and the 00:04:18.850 --> 00:04:20.389 spiders that are coming out of the corner and 00:04:20.389 --> 00:04:24.129 stuff that's upsetting your mother. But the reason 00:04:24.129 --> 00:04:27.810 you clean here It's because we're not doing this 00:04:27.810 --> 00:04:30.829 for me or for your mom. You do your best because 00:04:30.829 --> 00:04:34.389 this is your work as an offering to God. Did 00:04:34.389 --> 00:04:39.910 you see it? This was really one of the core Reformation 00:04:39.910 --> 00:04:42.629 principles. The priesthood of the believer was 00:04:42.629 --> 00:04:46.610 one. This other was living life before the face 00:04:46.610 --> 00:04:49.110 of God. All that we do, all that we are as an 00:04:49.110 --> 00:04:54.110 offering. And so those are four little things. 00:04:54.600 --> 00:04:58.540 Jobs, responsibility, excellence, audience of 00:04:58.540 --> 00:05:02.879 one. Now, let's get real practical. Help them 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:06.420 discover God's calling for their life. And to 00:05:06.420 --> 00:05:09.500 do this, you need to ask the following questions. 00:05:09.819 --> 00:05:12.279 And by the way, this isn't original. What is 00:05:12.279 --> 00:05:14.920 your shape? Actually, there was a pastor, I think, 00:05:14.920 --> 00:05:17.199 from Saddleback who wrote a book that has this 00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:19.860 word shape. But it was such a good acronym, I 00:05:19.860 --> 00:05:22.810 stole it. And so, you know, I don't want any 00:05:22.810 --> 00:05:25.529 credit for it, but I think all truth is God's 00:05:25.529 --> 00:05:27.129 truth. If you give credit, if people have done 00:05:27.129 --> 00:05:29.389 better stuff than you, you just grab it, modify 00:05:29.389 --> 00:05:33.029 it, give credit, and use it. So this acronym 00:05:33.029 --> 00:05:35.730 of a shape I think is very, very helpful. And 00:05:35.730 --> 00:05:38.629 here's your role with your disciples, with the 00:05:38.629 --> 00:05:41.269 people that you love, with your kids, with your 00:05:41.269 --> 00:05:43.129 grandkids, with the people in your Bible study. 00:05:44.569 --> 00:05:49.689 You want to be a student of them. See, your role. 00:05:50.329 --> 00:05:55.250 You've got 365 days to live. If you're going 00:05:55.250 --> 00:05:58.689 to die 365 days from now, and at the end of that 00:05:58.689 --> 00:06:01.569 365 days, let's say they live another 20 or 30 00:06:01.569 --> 00:06:05.310 years. Let's just round it. 70 % of their waking 00:06:05.310 --> 00:06:08.230 hours, they're going to work. How valuable would 00:06:08.230 --> 00:06:10.610 it be if you could help them discover what they 00:06:10.610 --> 00:06:13.829 were made by God to do? and spend 70 % of their 00:06:13.829 --> 00:06:16.949 waking hours doing what God made them to do with 00:06:16.949 --> 00:06:20.470 joy and fruit and impact. And they woke up and 00:06:20.470 --> 00:06:22.769 said, thank God it's Monday. Can you imagine 00:06:22.769 --> 00:06:25.189 the gift that would be? Not only to them, but 00:06:25.189 --> 00:06:27.949 to the kingdom. And my suggestion is you'll have 00:06:27.949 --> 00:06:30.730 to become a student. Your role changes. We have 00:06:30.730 --> 00:06:33.810 unconsciously bought how do I help the people 00:06:33.810 --> 00:06:37.189 I love be successful and how I help them be happy. 00:06:37.850 --> 00:06:41.699 That takes you down. Probably very negative paths. 00:06:42.639 --> 00:06:45.139 What I can tell you is if you help them discover 00:06:45.139 --> 00:06:48.259 who God made them to be and fulfill their calling, 00:06:48.459 --> 00:06:51.000 this sort of side thing will happen. They'll 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:53.060 probably be pretty successful and they'll probably 00:06:53.060 --> 00:06:56.279 be very happy. But that's a side benefit. That's 00:06:56.279 --> 00:06:59.660 not the goal. So what is your shape? So number 00:06:59.660 --> 00:07:02.540 one, ask them what are their spiritual gifts? 00:07:03.500 --> 00:07:07.230 Help them discover their spiritual gifts. You 00:07:07.230 --> 00:07:09.829 know, you have the core passages in the New Testament, 00:07:09.910 --> 00:07:12.550 Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12 and 14, Ephesians 00:07:12.550 --> 00:07:16.629 4, and I went over those quickly. But there's 00:07:16.629 --> 00:07:19.350 lots of excellent resources to help people discover 00:07:19.350 --> 00:07:21.910 their spiritual gifts. So we put together a thing 00:07:21.910 --> 00:07:24.689 called Your Divine Design. It's an audio series 00:07:24.689 --> 00:07:27.449 and a DVD series that walks people through a 00:07:27.449 --> 00:07:30.310 process of discovering their primary spiritual 00:07:30.310 --> 00:07:34.150 gift. What did God make them? What is their passion 00:07:34.150 --> 00:07:36.490 spiritually? What did he create them to do in 00:07:36.490 --> 00:07:40.329 terms of spiritual gifts? My son, Ryan, I'll 00:07:40.329 --> 00:07:41.870 give a number of real practical illustrations, 00:07:42.149 --> 00:07:44.610 was not a student. I mean, he would have six 00:07:44.610 --> 00:07:46.449 weeks where he'd get like A's and B's. And he 00:07:46.449 --> 00:07:48.990 was a smart kid, but very lazy. And he doesn't 00:07:48.990 --> 00:07:51.129 mind me saying this because it's very true. And 00:07:51.129 --> 00:07:53.209 so from sixth grade to twelfth grade, he didn't 00:07:53.209 --> 00:07:56.370 put two six weeks together ever. And I mean, 00:07:56.389 --> 00:07:59.730 like his joke is, I was grounded. I think from 00:07:59.730 --> 00:08:02.470 seventh grade on, you know. It's not really true, 00:08:02.569 --> 00:08:04.990 but I mean, he made me nuts. He just wouldn't 00:08:04.990 --> 00:08:06.930 do his work. But, so I started, I said, okay, 00:08:07.050 --> 00:08:09.269 I'm responsible for his education. Here's a book 00:08:09.269 --> 00:08:12.970 by C .S. Lewis. I want you to write me a book 00:08:12.970 --> 00:08:15.050 report. And he did. And then here's the major 00:08:15.050 --> 00:08:19.670 Bible themes by Chafer and Walvoord. And I mean, 00:08:19.670 --> 00:08:21.430 it's like this. And this is during the summer. 00:08:21.569 --> 00:08:22.829 You're not going to work at school? That's okay. 00:08:23.590 --> 00:08:24.889 I'm going to be responsible. You're going to 00:08:24.889 --> 00:08:26.990 learn to read, write, and think. And so you read 00:08:26.990 --> 00:08:28.709 a chapter and there's 20 questions at the end. 00:08:28.730 --> 00:08:30.490 You have to go into the Bible and answer all 00:08:30.490 --> 00:08:32.610 of them. Well, he did. Here's what I learned 00:08:32.610 --> 00:08:35.789 about my son. He led four of the six volleyball 00:08:35.789 --> 00:08:38.309 players in high school to Christ. He had a Bible 00:08:38.309 --> 00:08:41.149 study in our home. When he was supposed to be 00:08:41.149 --> 00:08:42.649 studying, he went and learned how to play the 00:08:42.649 --> 00:08:44.769 guitar very well. And when he got bored playing 00:08:44.769 --> 00:08:46.070 the guitar, he went out and played the drums. 00:08:46.269 --> 00:08:48.429 He loved God. He had a passion for God's word 00:08:48.429 --> 00:08:51.090 and he hated school. Now, part of the discipline 00:08:51.090 --> 00:08:54.100 was I just was on him, on him, on him, on him, 00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:55.720 on him. And then when he got done with school, 00:08:55.940 --> 00:08:57.779 he said, well, you know, I think I'd like to 00:08:57.779 --> 00:08:59.019 go to college. I said, well, I got a stewardship 00:08:59.019 --> 00:09:01.539 issue here. Because, you know, we're going to, 00:09:01.559 --> 00:09:03.279 you know, I don't have a lot of money, and so 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:05.990 we're going to have to both. pay as much as we 00:09:05.990 --> 00:09:08.789 can, but you need to work for a year and save 00:09:08.789 --> 00:09:11.350 eight to $10 ,000 because you've never put two, 00:09:11.389 --> 00:09:13.250 six weeks together. Why should I put 10 ,000 00:09:13.250 --> 00:09:15.610 of God's money down and you go off to college 00:09:15.610 --> 00:09:18.169 and blow $10 ,000? So you need to work for a 00:09:18.169 --> 00:09:20.490 year and then you pay for your first year. And 00:09:20.490 --> 00:09:23.450 if you're consistent and do it well, then I, 00:09:23.509 --> 00:09:25.289 by then I think I'll be able to handle the next 00:09:25.289 --> 00:09:27.350 three years. I'll pay at least your tuition and 00:09:27.350 --> 00:09:30.950 you can work. And he looked at me like, dad said, 00:09:31.049 --> 00:09:33.909 yes, son. Now, do you understand? Now, some of 00:09:33.909 --> 00:09:36.009 you are looking at me like, you must be the harshest, 00:09:36.029 --> 00:09:38.610 meanest, baddest father I've ever heard. Now, 00:09:38.629 --> 00:09:40.649 think about this. Again, am I not being consistent? 00:09:40.830 --> 00:09:43.350 It's not my money. It's God's money. He's blown 00:09:43.350 --> 00:09:45.690 the last. Why would his behavior change because 00:09:45.690 --> 00:09:47.629 he goes off to college and has more freedom, 00:09:47.669 --> 00:09:50.450 can do more? Well, I will tell you what. He did 00:09:50.450 --> 00:09:53.110 a couple jobs that he thought, I don't think 00:09:53.110 --> 00:09:55.350 I want to do this the rest of my life. He saved 00:09:55.350 --> 00:09:57.789 about $7 ,000 or $8 ,000. I charged him rent 00:09:57.789 --> 00:10:01.539 in his bedroom from day one. The goal is to what? 00:10:01.779 --> 00:10:04.200 Help them to become responsible. Now, we had 00:10:04.200 --> 00:10:06.340 fun. We played hoop. I loved him. We had a great 00:10:06.340 --> 00:10:10.279 relationship. But what I saw was his motivation 00:10:10.279 --> 00:10:12.259 and spiritual gifts were in this area of teaching 00:10:12.259 --> 00:10:15.039 and discipling. And I praise God for Joe Stull, 00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:17.440 who was the president of Moody Bible. He and 00:10:17.440 --> 00:10:19.659 I were on the phone. I described my son. He said, 00:10:19.679 --> 00:10:23.019 I knew a guy just like him once. I said, I'll 00:10:23.019 --> 00:10:24.960 tell you what, I'll let him in Moody Bible. I'd 00:10:24.960 --> 00:10:28.080 rather have a guy who's not as studious. who 00:10:28.080 --> 00:10:30.480 loves God and has a proven track record. And 00:10:30.480 --> 00:10:31.840 I said, well, who's this person you know that 00:10:31.840 --> 00:10:34.860 was like this? He said, it was me. He said, I 00:10:34.860 --> 00:10:37.200 hated high school. He said, I never started studying. 00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:39.259 So I started Greek and the Bible and all the 00:10:39.259 --> 00:10:41.559 rest. I said, Joe, you got a doctorate. He goes, 00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:45.159 man, Chip, it's not about brains. It's about 00:10:45.159 --> 00:10:50.100 calling and motivation. We'll hear more from 00:10:50.100 --> 00:10:52.740 Chip Ingram's message in just a moment. First, 00:10:52.799 --> 00:10:55.100 we're inviting you to multiply your year -end 00:10:55.100 --> 00:10:57.759 donation through an exciting match that's active 00:10:57.759 --> 00:11:00.059 right now. I'm sure you're watching the trend 00:11:00.059 --> 00:11:03.360 and it is so exciting. I mean, all across our 00:11:03.360 --> 00:11:05.919 high schools and college campuses, there is a 00:11:05.919 --> 00:11:08.779 spiritual awakening taking place. The time to 00:11:08.779 --> 00:11:11.879 respond is right now. Living on the Edge is ready. 00:11:12.100 --> 00:11:15.539 There's never been a more important time to disciple 00:11:15.539 --> 00:11:18.899 the next generation. God is moving. We've created 00:11:18.899 --> 00:11:22.100 the resources. We have the game plan. 30 years 00:11:22.100 --> 00:11:24.860 of God's faithfulness and lots more to accomplish. 00:11:25.220 --> 00:11:27.480 God has sustained Living on the Edge for three 00:11:27.480 --> 00:11:50.500 decades because people like you said yes. You're 00:11:50.500 --> 00:11:55.379 investing in a discipleship strategy that actually 00:11:55.379 --> 00:11:58.559 reaches the smartphone generation right where 00:11:58.559 --> 00:12:03.149 they are. Double the impact of your gift at livingontheedge 00:12:03.149 --> 00:12:07.750 .org. From a series called Leaving a Legacy That 00:12:07.750 --> 00:12:10.509 Lasts Forever, again, our Bible teacher, Chip 00:12:10.509 --> 00:12:13.289 Ingram. Well, my son ended up at Moody. He graduated 00:12:13.289 --> 00:12:15.929 from Moody. He clipped out of courses. He got 00:12:15.929 --> 00:12:18.649 through. He loved Greek. He's a pastor, and he's 00:12:18.649 --> 00:12:23.169 in a ministry that's God's blessing. But part 00:12:23.169 --> 00:12:27.289 of it was, what's his spiritual gift? That's 00:12:27.289 --> 00:12:29.179 going to be a big part of what God... When you 00:12:29.179 --> 00:12:31.960 come to Christ, God's gonna give a primary, I 00:12:31.960 --> 00:12:34.960 believe, motivation and a ministry cluster for 00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:36.759 you to fulfill. In other words, if this is your 00:12:36.759 --> 00:12:38.440 good work you're to walk in, doesn't it make 00:12:38.440 --> 00:12:41.240 sense? He's gonna put something in you, a power, 00:12:41.320 --> 00:12:43.759 supernaturally, for you to do it. The second 00:12:43.759 --> 00:12:45.559 is, what's their heart? Where's their passion? 00:12:46.580 --> 00:12:49.559 Ask them, what's your desire? What do you dream 00:12:49.559 --> 00:12:51.659 about? What would you love to see happen? I mean, 00:12:51.659 --> 00:12:54.000 that question, if you couldn't fail, what would 00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:56.820 you like to do? I mistakenly asked one of my 00:12:56.820 --> 00:12:59.779 sons that once. And he says, I want to be a musician. 00:12:59.980 --> 00:13:04.019 I thought, oh my gosh. Tell me you're joking, 00:13:04.100 --> 00:13:06.220 son. No, dad, I think God's put this music in 00:13:06.220 --> 00:13:08.620 my heart. And I'm thinking, there's a zillion 00:13:08.620 --> 00:13:11.679 musicians, bands everywhere. You got to get a 00:13:11.679 --> 00:13:13.740 real job. There's no security in this. I mean, 00:13:13.820 --> 00:13:15.919 you know, I'm preaching on the weekends this, 00:13:16.059 --> 00:13:17.779 but now this is my kid who's not going to get 00:13:17.779 --> 00:13:21.080 a real job, right? And so he goes to a little 00:13:21.080 --> 00:13:22.720 community college. Dad, I'm bored with this. 00:13:22.759 --> 00:13:24.379 I want to go full -time in music. And I'm going. 00:13:25.309 --> 00:13:27.210 And so I can still tell you where I was. I was 00:13:27.210 --> 00:13:29.610 here in the kitchen. The table's here. Jason 00:13:29.610 --> 00:13:32.529 was right there. And I'm giving him the logical 00:13:32.529 --> 00:13:34.789 parental, well, after you get done with school 00:13:34.789 --> 00:13:36.889 and you need to have enough security, and I'm 00:13:36.889 --> 00:13:41.090 giving him all this, basically, money. You got 00:13:41.090 --> 00:13:43.570 to take care of yourself over here. And the fear 00:13:43.570 --> 00:13:45.210 of a dad thinking you'll never be happy because 00:13:45.210 --> 00:13:46.509 you're going to end up, you know, a has -been 00:13:46.509 --> 00:13:48.370 little musician that's traveled around and wasted 00:13:48.370 --> 00:13:50.809 your early years. So I'm, you know, in my flesh, 00:13:50.809 --> 00:13:53.210 I'm worried about his happiness and money. And 00:13:53.210 --> 00:13:55.409 so he's in the kitchen and I'm giving him the 00:13:55.409 --> 00:13:56.970 opposite of what I'm preaching, which is not 00:13:56.970 --> 00:13:59.950 good as a pastor or a father. And he looked at 00:13:59.950 --> 00:14:03.129 me and goes, hey, dad, who's that guy who said 00:14:03.129 --> 00:14:05.649 dream great dreams and follow the passions of 00:14:05.649 --> 00:14:07.850 your heart, think outside the box and make a 00:14:07.850 --> 00:14:15.080 difference for Jesus? I said, give me a minute. 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:17.600 Let me see if I can remember who that guy was. 00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:20.259 And we had this exchange and I had to say, son, 00:14:20.379 --> 00:14:25.320 I'm sorry. I give your right. Give me a day to 00:14:25.320 --> 00:14:27.360 process it and then just tell me how can I help 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:30.139 you? And it's a long story and he's writing music 00:14:30.139 --> 00:14:32.879 and doing what God made him to do. And anybody 00:14:32.879 --> 00:14:34.840 here in this room have that struggle with those 00:14:34.840 --> 00:14:36.379 you really care about? You know, sort of the 00:14:36.379 --> 00:14:39.480 practical versus what God might really want him 00:14:39.480 --> 00:14:42.840 to do. A is for aptitude. What are you good at? 00:14:44.500 --> 00:14:47.460 The fourth is personality. You need to look at 00:14:47.460 --> 00:14:50.350 how your kids are wired. And, you know, whether 00:14:50.350 --> 00:14:52.350 that's the aptitude, whether it's the strength 00:14:52.350 --> 00:14:54.210 finder test that you can get at any bookstore 00:14:54.210 --> 00:14:56.769 and go online in 30 minutes and kind of see what 00:14:56.769 --> 00:14:59.149 people's strengths are, or the personality test, 00:14:59.370 --> 00:15:02.350 there's lots of them, the MMPI, or sort of the 00:15:02.350 --> 00:15:04.970 easiest one is that DISC test, you know, high 00:15:04.970 --> 00:15:09.269 D, I. But my point is, it doesn't take long to 00:15:09.269 --> 00:15:11.750 give someone that you're discipling or one of 00:15:11.750 --> 00:15:14.210 your kids or a grandkids a little test and begin 00:15:14.210 --> 00:15:16.789 to talk about, you know, you're high dominant 00:15:16.789 --> 00:15:20.110 and high I, you're a leader. like details. But 00:15:20.110 --> 00:15:22.389 dad, I want to be a ballerina. Well, I know, 00:15:22.529 --> 00:15:26.750 but sort of in a nice way, you're awkward, honey, 00:15:26.870 --> 00:15:29.929 and you fall down a lot, you know? And we'll 00:15:29.929 --> 00:15:31.710 get you one of those little tutus for Halloween, 00:15:31.769 --> 00:15:33.149 and you can run around the neighborhood, you 00:15:33.149 --> 00:15:36.309 know, you're only seven. But my point is, you 00:15:36.309 --> 00:15:37.909 want to direct them toward what they're good 00:15:37.909 --> 00:15:43.009 at. That's how God made them. And then here, 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:46.159 You want to encourage them to get honest, wise 00:15:46.159 --> 00:15:49.039 counsel about who they are and where they fit 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:51.960 and how to move. Because you may have an influence 00:15:51.960 --> 00:15:53.940 on them, especially if they're children or grandchildren, 00:15:54.340 --> 00:15:57.840 but you want them to get wise counsel from people 00:15:57.840 --> 00:16:00.779 you really trust and they trust to give some 00:16:00.779 --> 00:16:03.779 outside, objective view of where are they at? 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:06.080 Where are they coming from? What are they good 00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:08.759 at? How do they come off? You want to just create 00:16:08.759 --> 00:16:12.679 these mirrors of objectivity to help this person 00:16:12.679 --> 00:16:15.960 understand, What has God made you to do? What 00:16:15.960 --> 00:16:18.399 is your Ephesians 2 .10 good work to walk in? 00:16:18.519 --> 00:16:20.700 What are you called to do? When you do it, you 00:16:20.700 --> 00:16:23.399 come alive and God blesses it and you're fulfilled. 00:16:24.519 --> 00:16:27.539 By the way, when you are doing what God made 00:16:27.539 --> 00:16:30.080 you to do and when the people that you are helping 00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:32.779 are doing what God made them to do, they often 00:16:32.779 --> 00:16:37.319 miss it because it doesn't seem like work. You 00:16:37.319 --> 00:16:40.879 understand, we all have glasses. If you had glasses 00:16:40.879 --> 00:16:42.820 and there was a blue tent so that everything 00:16:42.820 --> 00:16:45.279 you saw was blue, you would think everyone sees 00:16:45.279 --> 00:16:49.220 blue. I meet people who see a situation and organizing 00:16:49.220 --> 00:16:50.940 it, well, that can't be God's call. I mean, it's 00:16:50.940 --> 00:16:52.360 so easy to organize stuff. All you do is this, 00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:53.899 this, this, this, this, this, this, this goes 00:16:53.899 --> 00:16:55.519 over here, this goes over here. I mean, it only 00:16:55.519 --> 00:16:57.639 took me five minutes and I'm thinking, how did 00:16:57.639 --> 00:17:01.059 you do that? Or I watched my son at nine years 00:17:01.059 --> 00:17:03.000 old read the Bible and ask questions about it 00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:04.700 and teach his friends at nine. I'm thinking, 00:17:05.289 --> 00:17:08.990 And he thinks everyone does that. Or I've seen 00:17:08.990 --> 00:17:11.509 people who, you know, look at something technical 00:17:11.509 --> 00:17:13.150 and they click, click, click, click, click, click 00:17:13.150 --> 00:17:14.710 here. This is over here. Well, this thing here, 00:17:14.750 --> 00:17:16.009 these are cookies over here. I don't know what 00:17:16.009 --> 00:17:19.930 cookies are. And, you know, I mean, you could 00:17:19.930 --> 00:17:22.230 give me that computer. Until Jesus comes, I, 00:17:22.309 --> 00:17:28.349 you know, send, you know. And so what you have 00:17:28.349 --> 00:17:32.210 to help people is that when they seem like it's 00:17:32.210 --> 00:17:35.940 not work because it comes so, easy. Now you have 00:17:35.940 --> 00:17:39.160 to develop the gift and you have to cultivate 00:17:39.160 --> 00:17:43.339 it. But often that's their sweet spot. That's 00:17:43.339 --> 00:17:45.779 what they're great at. I remember when I first 00:17:45.779 --> 00:17:46.880 started teaching, I thought, well, no one can 00:17:46.880 --> 00:17:49.039 do this for a living. I mean, you get to study, 00:17:49.160 --> 00:17:51.799 you get up in front of people, then you get to 00:17:51.799 --> 00:17:54.559 apply it, you get to see what happens. I mean, 00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:57.480 is this for real? Like this is a real job? Now 00:17:57.480 --> 00:18:00.339 I spent hours and hours and hours intensely working, 00:18:00.460 --> 00:18:04.849 but I'd say about 95 % of it, I think. Are you 00:18:04.849 --> 00:18:07.589 kidding me? I mean, someone actually gets to 00:18:07.589 --> 00:18:09.849 do this because when I open the text and when 00:18:09.849 --> 00:18:12.710 I study, it breaks apart for me. I sense what 00:18:12.710 --> 00:18:14.970 God wants to say. This is what you need to, I 00:18:14.970 --> 00:18:18.049 mean, it's hard in terms of intense and time 00:18:18.049 --> 00:18:21.309 and energy, but it's not hard as in, oh brother, 00:18:21.529 --> 00:18:25.069 I got one more sermon to write or oh boy, I got 00:18:25.069 --> 00:18:26.990 to get together in a group and we got to dream 00:18:26.990 --> 00:18:28.430 what we're going to do with this church and we 00:18:28.430 --> 00:18:30.390 got all these problems and boy, what a bummer. 00:18:30.450 --> 00:18:34.460 I love it. I just love it. I wake up in the middle 00:18:34.460 --> 00:18:36.339 of the night with ideas. I have to kind of hold 00:18:36.339 --> 00:18:38.160 myself down, you know, like quit trying to do 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:42.579 too much. Encourage them after the honest, wise 00:18:42.579 --> 00:18:44.859 feedback. Help them be willing to move out of 00:18:44.859 --> 00:18:48.500 their comfort zone to fulfill their divine purpose. 00:18:49.579 --> 00:18:51.700 You need to understand that the people that you 00:18:51.700 --> 00:18:53.720 love the most, the people that you want to help, 00:18:54.299 --> 00:18:59.799 the most common command in all of Scripture is 00:18:59.799 --> 00:19:07.069 a very short sentence. be afraid. That's the 00:19:07.069 --> 00:19:10.390 most repeated command in all of the Bible. Joshua, 00:19:10.470 --> 00:19:12.890 don't be afraid. Moses, don't be afraid. Disciples, 00:19:12.930 --> 00:19:18.190 don't be afraid. Why? As one ancient Greek philosopher 00:19:18.190 --> 00:19:22.569 said, safety is the greatest hindrance to all 00:19:22.569 --> 00:19:26.410 human endeavor. All of us tend to want to be 00:19:26.410 --> 00:19:30.369 safe and secure. I had to literally say to one 00:19:30.369 --> 00:19:32.630 of my sons, son, you're in this community college. 00:19:33.349 --> 00:19:36.230 And I mean, you can't go back there next year. 00:19:36.950 --> 00:19:38.670 We'll look at different schools, but you have 00:19:38.670 --> 00:19:41.009 this dream. But he just didn't want to get away 00:19:41.009 --> 00:19:44.029 from home. This is the same son. I put roller 00:19:44.029 --> 00:19:46.750 skates on him. And I said, you can't come back 00:19:46.750 --> 00:19:50.529 inside till noon. I don't want to learn. It's 00:19:50.529 --> 00:19:52.509 hard. I know it's hard. And I pushed him and 00:19:52.509 --> 00:19:54.109 did all this stuff when he got his first bike. 00:19:54.700 --> 00:19:56.539 It was like, I don't want to learn to ride. I 00:19:56.539 --> 00:19:58.400 mean, he just could never get him out of his 00:19:58.400 --> 00:20:01.880 comfort zone. But man, every step of the way 00:20:01.880 --> 00:20:04.680 has been pushing him where he didn't think he 00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:09.839 could go. Lovingly, gently. But you have to help 00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:12.099 people understand. A lot of people, that's why 00:20:12.099 --> 00:20:15.019 you're where you're at. It's called coaching. 00:20:15.589 --> 00:20:18.049 Most of us can never fulfill what God made us 00:20:18.049 --> 00:20:20.750 to fulfill unless there's someone who does two 00:20:20.750 --> 00:20:22.869 things. There's an arm around us that says, I 00:20:22.869 --> 00:20:24.309 love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, 00:20:24.309 --> 00:20:27.609 I love you, and there's a foot that I love you 00:20:27.609 --> 00:20:31.250 so much that I'm not gonna let you stay in this 00:20:31.250 --> 00:20:35.029 little spiritual, emotional, geographical cul 00:20:35.029 --> 00:20:40.049 -de -sac of safety, okay? And so the life message 00:20:40.049 --> 00:20:46.849 is, you were created. to work. With that change 00:20:46.849 --> 00:20:50.170 of person, I was made for this. The lie is that 00:20:50.170 --> 00:20:53.250 you are what you do. You've been fatted on. You 00:20:53.250 --> 00:20:55.670 are a housewife. You are a doctor. You are a 00:20:55.670 --> 00:20:57.910 scientist. You are a builder. You are a bricklayer. 00:20:57.990 --> 00:21:00.329 You are a plumber. That's a lie from the pit 00:21:00.329 --> 00:21:06.609 of hell. The truth is, do what you are. You are 00:21:06.609 --> 00:21:10.420 not what you do. Do what you are. You are created 00:21:10.420 --> 00:21:13.039 in the image of God with a spiritual gift, with 00:21:13.039 --> 00:21:15.680 a personality, with a passion, with aptitude, 00:21:15.779 --> 00:21:19.200 with skills, with experience to do this designed 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:22.779 Ephesians 2 .10 good work, discover it, and then 00:21:22.779 --> 00:21:26.000 help others discover theirs. And when you do, 00:21:26.140 --> 00:21:29.480 work becomes a gift from God instead of drudgery 00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:32.220 to get out of so you can go play on the weekends. 00:21:37.880 --> 00:21:41.420 Leaving a legacy that lasts forever. How to give 00:21:41.420 --> 00:21:43.960 your kids and grandkids what money can't buy. 00:21:44.339 --> 00:21:46.779 Please stay with us. We're going to hear an important 00:21:46.779 --> 00:21:49.920 closing comment from Chip in just a moment. First, 00:21:50.019 --> 00:21:52.099 I'm excited to share that Living on the Edge 00:21:52.099 --> 00:21:54.940 has activated one of the largest match opportunities 00:21:54.940 --> 00:21:58.319 in our 30 -year history. So now's the time to 00:21:58.319 --> 00:22:01.240 leverage your December year -end giving. Whatever 00:22:01.240 --> 00:22:03.680 amount God places on your heart to give will 00:22:03.680 --> 00:22:06.599 be doubled in size, yielding twice the impact. 00:22:06.920 --> 00:22:09.900 And the deadline for receiving your gift is December 00:22:09.900 --> 00:22:13.589 31st. And we'll use these gifts to come alongside 00:22:13.589 --> 00:22:16.690 parents, grandparents, and their kids with tools, 00:22:16.809 --> 00:22:19.650 resources, and encouragement so that people of 00:22:19.650 --> 00:22:22.750 all ages discover how to apply the Bible to every 00:22:22.750 --> 00:22:25.890 aspect of their lives. At Living on the Edge, 00:22:25.950 --> 00:22:28.029 we know that many families are struggling to 00:22:28.029 --> 00:22:30.230 answer questions about the Bible and the Christian 00:22:30.230 --> 00:22:33.309 faith. For that reason, we're equipped to respond 00:22:33.309 --> 00:22:36.170 with credible answers using methods that are 00:22:36.170 --> 00:22:39.019 preferred by a new generation of listeners. Chip? 00:22:39.079 --> 00:22:41.059 You know, we've all heard about kids who take 00:22:41.059 --> 00:22:44.039 a gap year from church after high school. But 00:22:44.039 --> 00:22:47.339 for many millennials in Gen Z, that gap year 00:22:47.339 --> 00:22:50.380 has turned into a decade. They're not angry at 00:22:50.380 --> 00:22:53.019 God. They're just not convinced Christianity 00:22:53.019 --> 00:22:55.559 has anything relevant to say to their lives. 00:22:56.099 --> 00:22:58.420 Living on the edge is reaching this generation 00:22:58.420 --> 00:23:01.619 where they are, on their phones, in their earbuds, 00:23:01.940 --> 00:23:05.000 during their commute or workout, with teaching 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:08.809 that's both deeply biblical. and intensely practical. 00:23:09.170 --> 00:23:11.470 When you give to this match, you're creating 00:23:11.470 --> 00:23:14.509 on -ramps for young adults to come back to the 00:23:14.509 --> 00:23:17.950 faith or to discover it for the first time in 00:23:17.950 --> 00:23:21.309 a way that actually makes sense. Right now, through 00:23:21.309 --> 00:23:23.809 this match, your gift is literally multiplied 00:23:23.809 --> 00:23:27.509 times two. That means double the reach, double 00:23:27.509 --> 00:23:31.329 the impact, and double the lives changed. But 00:23:31.329 --> 00:23:35.839 this... window won't stay open forever. The deadline 00:23:35.839 --> 00:23:40.059 is December 31st. Will you respond today? You 00:23:40.059 --> 00:23:43.000 can respond to Chip right now by going to livingontheedge 00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:49.000 .org or you can call right now, 888 -333 -6003. 00:23:49.339 --> 00:23:52.519 Together, let's make an impact by giving generously 00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:54.960 to the match that's active today and through 00:23:54.960 --> 00:23:57.980 December 31st. To send your donation in the mail, 00:23:58.039 --> 00:24:01.880 write to Living on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, 00:24:02.119 --> 00:24:06.619 Atlanta, Georgia, 30024. Chip will conclude our 00:24:06.619 --> 00:24:08.900 teaching series this coming Tuesday. It's called 00:24:08.900 --> 00:24:12.180 Leaving a Legacy That Lasts Forever. Did you 00:24:12.180 --> 00:24:14.140 know that we have a study guide for moms and 00:24:14.140 --> 00:24:17.259 dads? It's one of the most highly requested resources 00:24:17.259 --> 00:24:20.000 in our collection called Effective Parenting 00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:23.279 in a Defective World. To learn more or to contribute 00:24:23.279 --> 00:24:29.920 to the match, call 888 -333 -6003 or visit livingontheedge 00:24:29.920 --> 00:24:33.569 .org. I'm Dave Drewy, inviting you to listen 00:24:33.569 --> 00:24:35.990 Monday when Chip Ingram describes how to help 00:24:35.990 --> 00:24:38.490 your children and grandchildren manage their 00:24:38.490 --> 00:24:41.789 wealth wisely, right here on Living on the Edge.